HAMILTON, ON, March 31, 2016 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, today announced a major investment in research that will strive to make life better for Canadians living with chronic illnesses. Through the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR), the Government of Canada is providing $62.25 million to support five new pan-Canadian research networks in chronic disease. Minister Philpott made the announcement at an event held at McMaster University in Hamilton.
These networks will connect researchers, health professionals, policy makers and patients across the country to improve the health of Canadians living with chronic diseases. They will address research priorities identified by patients and accelerate the translation of research findings into patient care and health care policy. The focus areas of the research include diabetes, chronic pain, child disability, gastrointestinal disorders, and chronic kidney disease.
What makes these networks so unique is that patients have been involved from the beginning, working in collaboration with researchers to ensure that the focus of this research aligns with what really matters to them. Their voices are essential because, at the end of the day, these efforts are all about making life better for patients.
The funding from the Government of Canada is being provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The networks will also receive $126 million from partners, including universities, hospitals, industry, health charities, and provincial agencies.
Quotes
"SPOR provides a valuable platform for the federal government to work with partners across the country to improve health care for Canadians. We are pleased to support these networks whose work will lead to better health and a better quality of life for Canadians and help reduce the burden of chronic diseases on our health care system."
The Honourable Jane Philpott
Minister of Health
"These networks will produce innovations that improve the health of Canadians and position Canada as a global leader in research on these chronic diseases. We thank all the partners supporting these networks for their strong commitment and generous contributions."
Dr. Alain Beaudet
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Quick Facts
- SPOR is a national coalition dedicated to integrating research into patient care and the health care system.
- The SPOR Networks in Chronic Disease are a core element of the strategy.
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Backgrounder
Associated Links
Canada's Strategy on Patient-Oriented Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system for Canadians. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
Backgrounder
SPOR Networks in Chronic Disease
SPOR – Putting Patients First in Canada
Patient-oriented research refers to a continuum of research that engages patients as partners, focuses on patient-identified priorities and improves patient outcomes.
Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, or SPOR, is a national coalition dedicated to the integration of research into care. It aims to ensure that the right patient receives the right treatment
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) leads the strategy on behalf of the Government of Canada.
SPOR Networks
SPOR Networks are national collaborative research networks involving patients, researchers, policy makers, academic health centres, health charities, and other stakeholders. They focus on specific health challenges identified as priorities in multiple provinces and territories. They will address research priorities identified by patients and accelerate the translation of research findings into patient care and health care policy.
Funding for SPOR Networks in Chronic Disease
CIHR and partners have approved the funding of five SPOR Networks in Chronic Disease.
Host Institution |
Network |
McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) |
Inflammation, Microbiome, and Alimentation: Gastro-Intestinal and Neuropsychiatric Effects: the IMAGINE-SPOR Chronic Disease Network
This network will look at how gut bacteria and diet cause inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome and at the anxiety and depression associated with these disorders. |
McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) |
Chronic Pain Network
This network will direct new research, train researchers and clinicians, increase access to care for chronic pain sufferers, and speed up the translation of the most recent research into the reality of care.
|
University of British (Vancouver, BC) |
Listening, Learning, Leading: Canadians Seeking Solutions and Innovations to Overcome Chronic Kidney Disease (Can-SOLVE CKD)
This network will improve care for people with kidney disease. It aims to reduce the number of people who need dialysis or organ transplants, or who develop related illnesses that are debilitating or deadly. |
Research Institute of the (Montreal, QC) |
CHILD-BRIGHT: Child Health Initiatives Limiting Disability- Brain Research Improving Growth and Health Trajectories
This network will achieve brighter futures for children with brain-based developmental disabilities and their families by creating novel interventions to optimize development, promote healthy outcomes, and deliver responsive and supportive services across the life-course. |
University Health (Toronto, ON) |
SPOR Network in Diabetes and its Related Complications
This network will transform the health outcomes of individuals with diabetes and its related complications. It will facilitate meaningful connections between primary healthcare providers, their patients, and specialists to achieve improved care and significant cost savings within the health system. |
Each network involves research institutions across the country. The networks will each receive funding of $12.45 million from CIHR for a total investment from the Government of Canada of $62.25 million over five years. An additional $126 million will be contributed by partners, including universities, hospitals, industry, health charities, and provincial agencies.
SOURCE Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Christina Lazarova, Office of the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 613-941-4563, [email protected]
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